Mastery
by MystiiriousAbnormality
Summary: Naruto faces off against Sasuke briefly, how will that fight change his life in the times to come? NaruSaku.


**I do not own Naruto**

Mastery

_Surprise meeting_

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_- AN: This was originally only going to be a one shot, but I decided to expand on it. If you read the original, then you might notice that I fixed it up a bit. Hope it's not toooo boring. Hehe._

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It was a cold night. Not that it wasn't cold anyways considering they were in the Land of Iron where it was usually always winter, but for some reason, that night in particular seemed to be an eerie bone chilling cold. Naruto sat up, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Kakashi and Yamato woke up from his sudden movements and gave him a questioning look. He simply stood up and started to get all of his things together, "We need to go…" he said in a serious tone. The two jonin simply looked to one another before they also started to get their things together.

As the three of them jumped from tree branch to tree branch, making sure not to slip on the snow or ice, Kakashi decided to question the blond, "Naruto, where are we going exactly?" he asked

Naruto grinned and looked to his former sensei, "I honestly have no idea…it just feels like we should go this way, and fast." He stated. The two jonin behind him shook their heads in disbelief, leave it to Naruto to take them on a wild goose chase.

About a half hour later, Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato started to see structures in the distance. As they got closer, Kakashi recognized it as the place where the Kage's were supposed to be meeting. As they got closer to the building they could feel the raw power that was emanating from the area, and it gave them chills. They made their way to the top of the building where there was a conveniently placed, rather large, hole for them to peek inside through. They saw someone whom they never would have imagined would be there; it was Sasuke, fighting the Raikage in a conflict that seemed to be going on for some time now.

Just then, however, a large group of Konoha shinobi came to a stop on the top of the building and looked at Naruto's expression. He seemed to be enraged, but at the same time, happy. Sakura was about to ask what he was looking at, but Naruto answered before the words ever escaped her lips.

"Sasuke's down there…" he said in a serious tone, before jumping down the opening to the stone floor below. Sakura stood there wide eyed, as did the other young shinobi. She couldn't believe it; Sasuke was here, at this very moment. Everyone followed the blond shinobi to the floor of the building, gaining the attention of each of the kage's, the samurai, and Sasuke's group. At this point Sakura was staring at her former teammate which didn't go unnoticed by Naruto who had stepped a bit closer to the center of the conflict.

At that moment, Sasuke was about to thrust his chidori through the chest of the Raikage, who seemed to be incredibly outmatched. However, Naruto wasn't about to let that happen. He appeared, almost instantly, between the two fighting men, and grabbed ahold of Sasuke's arm with a grip that threatened to break his wrist. He swiftly threw his _friend's _arm to his side and gave him a slight push. He turned to him with a look of complete determination, and motioned with his hand for the Raikage to step back. The kage scoffed, but moved back to the others in the large room, realizing defeat. He was now standing next to his shinobi, with the bulk of the rest of the group behind him. "Do you really think you can take him?" he asked in almost a whispered, talking to himself more than the blond.

Shikamaru chuckled, "You'd be surprised what he can actually do…when he feels like it that is."

Naruto pointed a finger accusingly towards Sasuke, "I'm not letting you do this, and I'm not letting you get away this time!" he yelled.

Sasuke grinned, "Oh…and what are you going to do about it?" he questioned, appearing behind the blond with his katana unsheathed.

Naruto became almost limp as he waited for Sasuke to make the first move, however, the raven haired male just stood there, "Hm?"

Naruto's fists visibly tightened, "I'm gonna beat the crap out of you…then drag your ass back to Konoha." he seethed.

Sasuke merely chuckled and stepped closer, bringing his katana up against Naruto's neck. The blond still only stood there, not entirely wanting to start this fight; however, he knew that it had to happen.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." stated Sasuke in a calm demeanor.

Naruto took a deep breath and screamed, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!!"

At this, Sakura's grip tightened as she watched, '_Naruto_…' she thought.

Susuke smiled and re-sheathed his blade, appearing in front of the blond about three yards away. "I got my revenge…but now I want something else…" he stated.

This peaked the interests of many of the shinobi standing around the room.

"What else could he possibly want?" asked Kiba.

"I have no idea…but I doubt that it's anything good…" stated Shikamaru as he moved closer to the front of the group. Sakura was looking back and forth from Naruto to Sasuke, watching the expressions on both shinobi's faces. The whole time, there wasn't an ounce of remorse in Sasuke's face, while Naruto had been angry almost the entire time. She sighed, clenching her teeth, _'However this turns out…it's not gonna be good…' _she thought.

"But…you can find out what that is later…" the raven haired man said.

"I think I have a pretty good idea." stated Naruto in an almost saddened tone of voice.

Sasuke chuckled, "Yeah? And what do you think my plan is?" he questioned sarcastically.

Naruto shook his head, "I thought after you got your revenge and killed Itachi…you would have come back, you would have went back to your old self. I guess I was wrong, not only that, but now…from what your brother told me…" he paused, with everyone staring at him in surprise, including Sasuke, "you want to destroy Konoha, and kill everyone in it, that's why I don't understand you anymore…that's why…" he stopped. At his words, almost everyone's eyes widened.

"When did you…" Sasuke thought out loud.

Naruto smiled, "He found me before you killed him and gave me a warning…and a little surprise for an occasion like this…" he stated.

'_Surprise?'_ wondered Sakura as she was thinking of what he could mean.

Sasuke was starting to get frustrated, so he once again unsheathed his sword, "I'm getting sick of this talking…let's finish this already." He stated.

Naruto frowned and put his hands in his pockets, appearing to be in a completely defenseless stance.

The raikage chuckled, "Confident…" he stated.

"He has every right to be confident." Sakura stated bluntly as she let her eyes fall onto her friend. A few of the shinobi there glanced at her momentarily.

"What…is he your boyfriend or something?" asked the Raikage who had grown a slight smile.

Sakura blushed, "What? No, he's my teammate." She stated, obviously a bit flustered as she moved her gaze back towards Naruto.

Sasuke vanished with Naruto doing the same shortly thereafter. You had to be very attuned to your senses to be able to pick out each clink of clashing katana and kunai. One second they were at the left side of the room, the next, they were at the right. They reappeared and Sasuke was getting his chidori ready, while Naruto just stood there. Sasuke clenched his teeth and charged for his opponent. Naruto's expression was similar as he made a quick seal. All of a sudden, the whole room felt like the air was being sucked into a vacuum, and it became hard to breathe. Then there was a pulse, as if all of that air was being expanded from one common epicenter. The intensity of the blast made everyone shut there eyes and get a better holding on the ground. Sasuke stopped mid step, and his chidori was gone, not that he released it, but Naruto's jutsu seemed to have 'put it out,' you could say.

'_What was that?'_ Sakura asked herself as she looked at her teammate, mouth slightly agape.

Yamato glanced to Kakashi before turning his attention back to Naruto, "When did he get so good at wind jutsus?" he questioned.

Kakashi shook his head, "I have no idea…its news to me." He stated.

After that incident Sasuke regained his composure, visibly angry at this point, "Why don't you just leave me alone…" he stated more than asked.

Nartuo was also starting to get a bit angry. "Why….WHY!!!" he yelled, "Because, I made a promise…and I can't go back on that. On the day you left, I made a promise to Sakura that I would bring you back no matter what…and I plan on doing just that." He said, getting calmer towards the end of his outburst. Sakura felt tears pooling in her eyes as she remembered the conversation she had with Sai only a day or so earlier. _'It's like a curse…'_, the words repeating themselves in her mind.

Sasuke clenched his fists, "Why does that matter?" he asked, in a frustrated tone.

"Because…" Naruto began, "…she loves you." He said in a calm, almost saddened tone.

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief, those words hurt more than she had ever thought possible. _'I love him? I LOVE HIM??'_ she began to think in her head, _'Does he really think that?'_ she asked herself as she looked slightly to the ground, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. _'He really is an idiot…'_ she said in her head as she felt her knees shake slightly. Ino walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She knew that those words bugged her, more than Naruto would ever know.

Sasuke started to chuckle, until it finally became full blown laughter, "Love…love, I don't need love." He said, the last part in a dark tone. Just then, Suigetsu decided to step in considering he had been sitting on the sidelines the whole time. He appeared right in front of Sakura, who began to look up to the white haired man, only realizing that he was too fast and she wouldn't be able to get away. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the strike. When she felt a small amount of warm liquid drip down her cheek, but no pain, she opened her eyes quickly. To her shock, Naruto was standing in front of her, with his back facing her. His right hand and forearm drenched in blood from the force of Suigetsu's attack. His own chakra cushioned the impact considerably, but not enough to avoid a rather serious gash.

Saskue and Suigetsu, along with pretty much everyone else in the room, looked at him wide eyed and Suigetsu backed off, "Why…would you do that?" he asked.

Naruto smiled and looked up to Sasuke's new teammate, "Because….she's my friend." he stated. Just then, to everyone's surprise, Madara appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Sasuke, "Sorry to interrupt, but I need Sasuke to be alive, sorry. Oh, and by the way…what was that surprise you were talking about earlier?" he asked.

Naruto scoffed, "Screw you…"

Madra laughed and shook his head, "How naive…" He said as he waved goodbye and disappeared just as quickly as he came.

Naruto's arm fell limp to his side, almost gushing with blood, considering Suigetsu's blade had severed a major vein. He stood there with a small, almost unnoticeable smile.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he quickly made his way to his former student.

Naruto looked to him, then looked at the ground and closed his eyes, "I tagged him…" is all he managed to say before collapsing. Kakashi stopped mid step, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Kakashi?" asked Yamato, who was also making his way over to Naruto.

Kakashi chuckled, "I guess he can still surprise me…"

"Why, what did he mean by _tag_?" asked Shikamaru, who had rushed to Naruto also.

"It's…a long story, maybe some other time." stated the masked shinobi.

At the very moment Naruto had collapsed, Sakura rushed to his side and fell to her knees. She was noticeably crying, for an assortment of reasons. She began to inspect his wound to see how severe it was. Unfortunately, it was indeed life threatening, even for him. If he got to the hospital quickly, then he would most likely make it, otherwise…

"Sakura?" asked Kakashi.

She wiped her eyes a bit before responding, "He…"she began, "I can't do anything about this here, it's too severe…if we don't get him to a more stable environment…within an hour or so, I…I don't think he'll…" she stated, choking on the last part. Kakashi nodded and picked the blond up.

"Take him to Suna…its closer for one, and I hear that your village…isn't doing to good…" stated Gaara.

Kakashi nodded and followed behind the Kazekage as the entirety of the group headed for his village.

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Naruto woke up only a few hours later in a hospital. He wasn't familiar with the facility thought, and he knew Konoha's wasn't rebuilt yet, so he sat up to look out the window. _'Suna…' _He thought with a fond smile. That's when he heard talking in the hallway, he couldn't understand what was being said, but assumed that it was most likely about him considering his current condition. He sighed and stood up, then he walked to the window and gently pushed it open. After double checking to see if anyone else was in the room, he leaped out of the room and started making his way to one of the higher buildings that he saw.

He took a seat on the tall, rounded building, and began to think of what could have possibly happened to his once good friend. Sakura was making her way through the streets wondering something along the same lines. However, she had something else on her mind that that seemed to dominate all other thoughts. _'Even I can tell that he really loves you.'_ The words running around her thoughts as she blankly walked down the dirt street, _'Sasuke causes Naruto pain…But I think you do, too.' _Those words hurt, every time she said them over in her head, it felt like someone was twisting a screw through her chest. _'I'm the idiot…' _she thought sadly as she continued walking.

She was on her way to the hospital to see how Naruto was doing when Ino showed up. "Hey, Sakura…is Naruto's arm healed?" she questioned with a perplexed look on her face.

Sakura quirked a brow, "He heals fast…but not that fast." She joked. It was true that Naruto healed fast, but it had only been a few hours since the incident so his arm wouldn't be completely healed yet.

Ino tapped her chin, "Then whys he up and about?" she inquired as she pointed to the blond off in the distance, sitting on the Kazekage's council building.

"What?" she almost yelled, giving Ino a surprised expression.

"He's not _that _hurt…is he?" she questioned.

Sakura ignored her friends question as she stormed off in the direction of the blond. Ino faintly smiled as she turned around and headed for the villages visitor complex where most of the Konoha shinobi were staying.

"Naruto…" she said in an almost frustrated tone.

Said shinobi jumped slightly, as he was deep in thought and hadn't realized that she was approaching. Turning around, he gave her a slight smile, though she could see through it, "Hey Sakura-chan…" he began, turning back out to the horizon, "…what's up?" he asked in a distant tone.

"What's up?" she repeated in a sarcastic tone, "Your supposed to be in bed, you could end up…" she began as she sat down a couple feet away from him.

Naruto smiled, "End up what…come on Sakura, it's already pretty much healed." He explained as he unwrapped the bandages. But to his and Sakura's surprise, it wasn't healed, in fact, it looked almost worse than before. "Hmm…that's new." He halfheartedly joked.

"Naruto." she said in a worried voice as she scooted over to him, bringing his arm into her hands to take a closer look. She glanced up to see him looking at her hands with a slightly dazed expression on his face, which caused her to blush slightly.

"Come on…you need to get to the hospital." She quietly ordered as she stood up.

"I won't argue to that." He said calmly.

'_How can he be so chill at a time like this?' _she wondered as they started almost running in the direction of the large medical facility, mainly because Sakura was pulling him.

She hadn't been thinking anything of it, she was just pulling him by his good hand. She didn't realize that when they arrived at the hospital and she was checking him in at the front desk, she was still holding his hand. She blushed slightly at her realization and gently released his hand. "Sorry about that."

"About what?" he asked as they began walking down the hallway to the stairs.

"Er…nothing." She said. Either he hadn't noticed, or he didn't care that she was holding his hand. She figured it would be the first choice knowing his tendency to be unobservant.

When they got to his room, Sakura took off her outer layer, considering, one, they were in Suna, and two, Naruto's room was on the sixth floor, so she was quite hot from the slow climb up the stairs. Naruto on the other hand, seemed to be perfectly comfortable. She asked him to take his jacket off so she could examine his arm easier. He obliged and started taking it off, his black T-shirt had clung to his jacket as hi slid it over his head, causing it to ride up almost to his shoulders. Sakura blushed slightly as he tugged it back down over his torso. He threw his jacket onto a nearby chair and turned around. His eyes widened momentarily at Sakura, he hadn't noticed her take off her outer-shirt earlier. Noticing his reaction, she once again blushed, "What…its hot." She explained.

Naruto smiled and took a seat on the bed, "I'll say…" he glanced up to her quickly before looking down at the floor, noticing her white tank top that was tight to her body, accentuating her curves. Now it was his turn to blush, which didn't go unnoticed by the kunoichi. She smiled at his comment and the way he looked away from her.

After a few minutes of examining him, she sighed, "I don't get it…your perfect…" she stated.

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah…what can I say?"

"Idiot…" she said jokingly, lightly punching him in the stomach. "But really, there's nothing wrong with your system, but your wound won't heal." She explained, "I thought I did a pretty good job of helping it move along earlier, but I guess I was wrong." She said, almost saddened, along with a guilty expression, "It was my fault." She whispered.

Naruto looked in her eyes, they seemed to watering, as if she was about to cry. He smiled, "Sakura, how was that your fault…that guy was really fast, I didn't feel like losing another friend." He stated, trying to cheer her up a bit.

She wiped her eyes and stood up, "Well, anyways, I'm gonna go find Shizune, maybe she might know what to do." She said as she turned to leave.

"Wait…whys she here, wasn't she watching Baa-chan?" he questioned.

"Yeah, but she brought her here because we don't have a hospital, remember?" she said sarcastically as she closed the door to his room.

She returned a few minutes later the raven haired woman, who was in a nearby room looking after the still frail Tsunade. She examined him with a perplexed look until she realized something. Her eyes widened in disbelief, "Go get Kakashi, Neji, and Yamato." She almost yelled, Sakura jumped slightly at her outburst. She nodded and quickly made her way to find the two jonin, as she looked for them; she became more panicked by the minute.

After about twenty minutes or so, the four of them returned. "What's wrong Shizune, Sakura said it was urgent." asked the masked shinobi.

Shizune looked to Naruto, then to Sakura, "Sakura, I think you should wait outside." She suggested.

Sakura was about to say something in protest, until Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She sighed and made her way out of the room. When the door clicked shut, Shizune looked back to Naruto.

"This isn't good." She said.

"What's not good?" asked Naruto. Both Kakashi and Yamato didn't really have a clue as to what was going on while Neji only stood there with his arms at his side.

"I think Naruto's chakra is negating the healing abilities he gets from the Kyuubi…that's why you're here Neji, can you check that for me?" she asked.

Neji nodded, "Byakugan." he said as he activated his Kekkei Genkai. Neji shook his head, "Actually, quite the opposite…the Kyuubi's chakra is the most dominant right now, it seems that the seal was broken…I'm surprised he's able to hold back the power of the nine-tails." He said in almost an astonished tone.

Everyone else almost gasped, excluding Naruto who only had a look of surprise plastered on his face.

"How is that possible?" questioned Yamato as he glanced toward Kakashi.

The masked jonin shook his head, "I have no idea, but I don't think it's a good thing." He stated.

"Wait…" Naruto began, gaining the attention of everyone in the room, "If that's true, then wouldn't this heal faster?" he asked while holding up his arm.

Shizune nodded, "It should, unless…" she trailed off.

"Unless what?" questioned the Hyuga.

"What if it was never the nine-tail's chakra that helped Naruto heal faster…what if it's chakra actually slowed the healing down, and it was Naruto's chakra that healed him." She inquired.

"That's impossible…or, if it were true, then his chakra would be one of a kind, a truly amazing energy." stated Kakashi as he pondered the situation. "It would explain his current state though."

Without really thinking anything of it, Naruto lifted his shirt slightly, revealing his stomach. To his, and everyone else's surprise, his seal mark was gone.

"Yamato…we need to do the seal again." Kakashi said in a grim tone. Yamato nodded and took a position on the opposite side of Kakashi with Naruto in the center. After they completed the sealing Jutsu, Naruto felt odd. He grabbed his stomach as a pain began to envelop him. He clenched his teeth as his vision began to fade.

"Naruto?" questioned a worried Shizune.

Just then, all the pain subsided and he felt fine, which was odd even for him. "Ugh…what just happened?" he questioned.

Shizune quirked a brow, "Not sure…let me…" she began as she slowly lifted his shirt, once again gaining the wide eyes of everyone in the room.

"Where's the seal mark?" questioned Kakashi.

"We did it perfectly…I don't understand." Stated a confused Yamato as they tried to figure out what had happened. Neji activated his byakugan again.

His eyes widened, "I could be wrong, but I think Naruto's body is rejecting the seal purposefully…maybe it has no need for it." He suggested.

"How is there no need…were talking about the kyuubi here…" stated Shizune.

"I know…but from what I'm seeing with my eyes, he is suppressing the kyuubi from releasing to much of its chakra…and right now it looks like Narut's chakra is starting to gain dominance in his system." He stated.

And sure enough, Naruto's arm was beginning to visibly heal, at a pase that that hadn't seen before.

"Naruto…are you suppressing the Kyuubi?" questioned Yamato.

The blond sighed, "Well, I feel it's energy trying to get out, but I'm not letting it." He stated.

"If that's true…then you've exceeded even my expectations…" explained a stunned Kakashi. "Who would have thought that someone your age would ever be able to keep a demon under control…and without the help of a seal."

Shizune smiled, "That's our Naruto."

Just then, Naruto's vision began to fade into something of blackness. The last thing he heard was the faint calls from Shizune as his head fell into his pillow, exhaustion winning him over.

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Naruto's eyes shot open, his breathing was heavy and his right arm was throbbing. As his vision adapted, he realized that he was in a hospital, something that he should probably be used to by now. He looked out the window and noticed that it was a pretty crummy day. He sighed and turned to see what time it was. He jumped slightly when he noticed someone sitting on a chair next to his bed.

"You're finally up." Sakura said as she grew a smile, her hands on her lap, she was fiddling her thumbs, noticeably anxious, about what, Naruto had no idea.

Naruto quirked a brow, "You okay?" he asked.

Sakura perked up a bit, but he knew it was just for show, "Yeah…I'm fine, why do you ask?"

Naruto sighed, "Sakura…your not a very good liar." He joked, causing the pink haired kunoichi to open her eyes a bit wider in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as if she were telling the truth, but he could hear the slight shakiness in her voice.

Naurto merely looked at her, but it felt like he was trying to tell her something. Trying to get her to say what she wanted to say. She sighed and looked him in the eye, Naruto could see the sadness in her expression, but before she could say anything, he took the initiative, "I'm sorry…I tried, but I wasn't quick enough to get him…" he said in a depressed tone.

Sakura's mouth opened slightly in disbelief, "Do…do you actually think…." She began, but stopped herself in order to take a deep breath, "Did you mean what you said, about me loving Sasuke?" she asked, tears pooling in her eyes.

Naruto looked at her in confusion, "Yeah…are you okay Sakura?" he asked.

Sakura shut her eyes, a stray tear dripping through her eyelashes, rolling down her cheek. She bit her lower lip, trying to get control of herself, but it didn't seem to be working, the tears just keep streaming through her closed eyes.

"Sakura…." Naruto said, reaching up and cupping the side of her face with his hand, he wiped the tears from under her eye with his thumb, "I won't let him get away next time." He said in a determined tone. At this point she was getting frustrated. She pushed his hand away and turned slightly away from him.

"Naruto, do you really think I care about that promise anymore…I mean, do you really believe that I love him and want him to be back here?" she asked, her tears increasing.

"Well…yeah, I thought so." He stated.

She lowered her head, a slight smile on her face, "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" she asked jokingly. Naruto quirked a brow in confusion.

"Naruto, I was stupid back then, I had a dumb crush on him, that's all. For almost two years now, I've only wanted him back so we could be together as a group again, as friends. You, me, and Sasuke." She stated, Naruto listening intently to what she had to say. "Any feelings I had for him are gone, they've been gone for quite some time now, and the other day, when I saw him fight you, I lost any feelings of friendship for him. I don't know about you, but I don't really want him back anymore, knowing what he's become." She said.

Naruto was about to say something but Sakura cut him off, "And…over the past year and a half or so…" she began, gaining a fond smile, tracing a fold on Naruto's bed sheets with a finger, "…I've started to feel something for someone else." She said.

Naruto was again, about to say something, but she once again cut him off, "He's brave, and honorable, and good looking, and strong, and he's a great friend." She said, glancing over at him. She smiled and shook her head, _'how thick headed can you be, Naruto?'_ she asked herself as she watched his quizzical expression as he tried to figure out who it might be.

She chuckled, gaining his attention, "What?" he asked.

She stood up and bent over, placing her left hand gently on his right shoulder and her right hand on his chest. She slowly brought her face to his, awarding both of them a deep blush. Naruto watched in shock as she approached him, 'Is she…' he began in his head, but stopped when her lips met his. It was only for a few seconds, but he felt like he was on fire. Sakura would be lying if she said it wasn't the same for her, as she stood up again, and removed her hands from him, she almost fell because she felt so light headed. She smiled and turned to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, it's getting late." She said as she gently closed the door behind her.

'_What the hell?'_ is all Naruto could think as he looked at the closed door.

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Well…that's what I have for chapter one, hopefully I'll be able to update about once every week, maybe every other week if I'm not up to it. Tell me what you think, reviews are always appreciated, good or bad.

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